Need Some Help With New Arcade Stick

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I'm hoping to purchase an arcade stick by the end of the year but there are various elements which I need to straighten out first.

I'm primarily going to be using it on my PC and the consoles come second. As far as I know there are only a few sticks that actually work on the PC.

1) Qanba Q4
I currently am very interested in the Qanba Q4 (3in1) sticks, the Ice Red version in particular. The option to be able to play on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 is pretty attractive.

However, the sticks being a bit old give me the paranoia of them not working with new motherboards, a problem I previously saw with an old MadCatz TE stick.

Could anyone from here tell me a bit about their experience with Q4s? This is a comment I got from the web: "Qanba PCBs don't last as long as stuff from MadCatz or Hori." What does that really mean? I also heard it suffers from a faulty USB issue.

2) Razer Atrox
I'm not really a fan of Razer on the basis of reliability but the Atrox does indeed look to be working smoothly out of the box on the Xbox 360 and PC. It though is a bit expensive at $199.

3) MadCatz
Don't really know much about it, except that the Xbox 360 version will probably work on PC and it has this coming up soon: http://store.madcatz.com/brands/mad...tStick-Tournament-Edition-2-for-Xbox-360.html

So which one should I go for and if you have any other suggestion, do comment below.

 

[amirparvez]

I have actually used all the sticks above except for the razor ones. Ill try to reply to your query to the best of my knowledge and the experiences i had with all the sticks.

1.Q4 rah 3 in 1 stick

Currently that is the stick im using these days for my consoles and pc. The stick works like a charm with the ps3,pc and xbox just via flip of a switch. It may cost you a lil more than the madcatz, hori and razor ones but its definitely worth it.

Pros.

3 in 1 is the biggest factor here. The weight of the stick is just perfect and balances well let it be in your lap or on a table. It comes with a square gate right out of the box and personally i like the size of the gate as compared to madcatz or hori.

Cons

I have not encountered a usb issue with it but when i flip it for the ps3 it restarts once i hit the buttons. Thus i only use it for a pc or a xbox now since i have a seperate madcatz te round 2 stick for a ps3.

The turbo mode turns on itself and there is no way to turn it off. Like i said the board of the stick is not that reliable. Than again that has happened to me probably cos i dropped it once or twice. The length of the usb cable is around 8 ft as compared to a 13 ft cable of madcatz ones.

 

[amirparvez]

Madcatz te round 2

The ps3 version of this stick does not work on the pc. You will have to use a app like motionjoy to configure it. That is not the case with the xbox version though. Its simple plug and play. I really love the build quality of these sticks and if you can get your hands on a good xbox to ps3 convertor , you can use the xbox version on a ps3 too. However that doesnt work if you have a ps3 version of the stick and ur trying to make it work for a xbox.

So i would say buy the xbox version, it works on almost all intel mother boards. But do do a lil research before you are buying it.

 

[amirparvez]

Hori.

There are many horis out there. The best and most awesome is the hori fighting edge hands down. I tried it once at a friends place and it was awesome, better than the madcatz ones in terms of build quality and the gate.

Other sticks.

Try to look into eightarc sticks. They are made by qanba for the states but i have heard good things about it.

 

[JANARIOO]

[MENTION=10264]amirparvez[/MENTION] thats a nice review

 

[BOOM]

Excellent first-hand reviews for me. I've also read that the top Hori sticks are terrible with PC, even their Xbox 360 versions. Hence this breaks down between either the Qanba Q4 or the new MadCatz stick that's releasing next month.

I have to say that the Qanba Q4's Ice and Blue editions look really good but its board is an issue. It's going to cost greatly importing one stick from abroad and I don't want the board dying on me within the year.

 

[bibabacha]

just use PS2 or PS1 controller custom wired from Ichra or if you are in Multan from Babar Market... they can be used with PC via Converter... or your can play with ps2 or ps1 controller easily on PC via Converter and its cheap way... only you have to pay 500-600. if you wire them it will cost you 2000 with handle and good micros...

 

[amirparvez]

Actually the problem with those convertors with sticks is the input lag.

I would suggest you also look into eightarc since qanba is not available in the us. Costed me around 21 k two years back and a friend got it from uk.

If you want to play on the pc primarily than go for a madcatz tournament edition.

 

[BOOM]

[MENTION=10264]amirparvez[/MENTION]

They are available on Amazon: Amazon.com: Qanba Q4

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btw I wanted to ask this. If I get the new MadCatz, it will work on Xbox 360 and PC. If I want to play it on PS3, what do I have to do for that? As you mentioned above, converters are said to add input lag. Is there any other external method without modding the insides of the stick?

 

[amirparvez]

You dont have to mod the stick bro. I bought one of those desi convertors from a friend in pindi to use my xbox stick with the ps3. Its a usb convertor all you have to do is plug in ur ps3 and plug the stick usb on the other side. Costed me around 700 rs as i recall. A better option would be to buy a xmc convertor from amazon..

 

[BOOM]

were there issues of input lag?

 

[amirparvez]

Yea just a lil.. Nothing to worry about

 

[BOOM]

A pretty stupid question, but what happens if your PCB gets fried? Can I replace it or is the stick then doomed.

 

[amirparvez]

A pretty stupid question, but what happens if your PCB gets fried? Can I replace it or is the stick then doomed.

Not a stupid question at all , i remember myself pondering on such inquiries when i first got into the Fight Stick endeavor. Sadly if your pcb gets fried there is nothing you can do in the local market. You might have to send your stick to USA or wherever u got it from for repairs. The PCB of the fight stick don't get fried or something but it can malfunction which happens very rarely. As i said earlier there is a problem with the flip switch of my qanba but that too cos my kid once dropped the stick from 9 ft above , the stairs if you may. It switches to the ps3 but when i press the hk or hp buttons the stick resets thus i only use it for a xbox and a pc now. I have been using the madcatz round2 TE for quite sometime but it has not malfunctioned at all even though i dropped it once or twice ( minor drops).

If you want your options open for all three platforms (pc,ps3 and xbox) than get a qanba q4 rah or a eightarc ivory as i recall . If you want to use ur stick primalry for the xbox and the pc only go for the madcatz tournament edition ones (xbox version).

 

[BOOM]

Thanks Amir, you were a great help. I've decided that I'll be going for the Qanba Q4. Now am just going to check if I can find the Ice Blue version cheaper.

 

[amirparvez]

Thanks Amir, you were a great help. I've decided that I'll be going for the Qanba Q4. Now am just going to check if I can find the Ice Blue version cheaper.

Anytime bro glad i was of any help.